1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an outside mirror apparatus for a vehicle, and an illuminating unit for the outside mirror apparatus.
2) Description of the Related Art
An outside mirror apparatus for a vehicle and an illuminating unit for the outside mirror apparatus have been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2002-79878. The illuminating unit described in the above literature is installed in a door mirror and includes a light source, a lens for widening the light, and a base on which the lens is installed.
To improve the visibility by the lighting unit, the outside mirror apparatus is structured such that the light from the light source is irradiated in a direction of width of a vehicle away from the vehicle and in a direction towards a rear side of the vehicle. Therefore, the outside mirror apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2002-79878 uses a plurality of light sources divided, for radiation of the light in two directions. The light sources are fixed to a terminal plate (mounting bracket) that is structured separately, making different angles. The terminal plate is fixed to the base.
However, the mounting structure of the light sources is complicated and includes a large number of components which makes the manufacturing process of the product complex.